AHC: Bohemond sides with the Turks against Byzantium

During the 11th and early 12th centuries, what if Bohemond, or other Norman adventurers who had ambitions to conquer land from the Byzantine Empire, decided to side with the Seljuk Turk empire, possibly converting to Islam, in their attempt to acquire fiefdoms? How would it turn out?

Would this be more plausible if the Crusades never started?
 
At this point, the Normans are well within the bounds of (Catholic) Christianity. They don't really have a reason to go Muslim, unless you manage to butterfly away the Crusades and make Byzantium more ripe for conquest.

Killing or removing Alexios Komnenos does the second and helps with the first.
 
At this point, the Normans are well within the bounds of (Catholic) Christianity. They don't really have a reason to go Muslim, unless you manage to butterfly away the Crusades and make Byzantium more ripe for conquest.

Killing or removing Alexios Komnenos does the second and helps with the first.

Well, they really don't need too, strictly speaking. The Seljuks would probably accept a deal where they're tribute paying vassals/marcher lords. Especially if you have no Crusades and the Catholics aren't squinting too hard at the Middle East while they beat each other over the head in the endless medieval wars.
 
Interestingly in Gesta Francorum the author claimed:

Verumtamen dicunt [scil. Turci] se esse de Francorum generatione, et quia nullus homo naturaliter debet esse miles nisi Franci et illi.​

Indeed, the Turks say that they are related to the Franks and that no man ought by nature to be a knight save the Franks and themselves.​
 
Interestingly in Gesta Francorum the author claimed:

Verumtamen dicunt [scil. Turci] se esse de Francorum generatione, et quia nullus homo naturaliter debet esse miles nisi Franci et illi.​

Indeed, the Turks say that they are related to the Franks and that no man ought by nature to be a knight save the Franks and themselves.​
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franks and turks both believing themselves to be gods chosen martial race
 
At this point, the Normans are well within the bounds of (Catholic) Christianity. They don't really have a reason to go Muslim, unless you manage to butterfly away the Crusades and make Byzantium more ripe for conquest.

Killing or removing Alexios Komnenos does the second and helps with the first.

It depends on. If you put a handful of Normans in Muslim territory and they rule that part, there is a very likely chance they will become Muslim. In this case in Anatolia, not the Balkans.

Some Arab Emirs of Sicily converted to Christianity after Norman Conquest even being firm bounds of Islam. People tend to be flexible.
 
It depends on. If you put a handful of Normans in Muslim territory and they rule that part, there is a very likely chance they will become Muslim. In this case in Anatolia, not the Balkans.

Some Arab Emirs of Sicily converted to Christianity after Norman Conquest even being firm bounds of Islam. People tend to be flexible.

My point is that Normans would be deliberately choosing to go where they would have to change religion, in order to try that. Some would consider it - but not many.

Sicily was less firmly in the Islam camp, and beaides, the choice was to convert or face some measure of discrimination at their own home.
 
Can the Turks somehow go Christian?

I see no reason why they would. Unlike in Muslims in areas where the Christianity was a more unified Catholicism, there's far less religious uniformity in Anatolia. Too many different sects for it to be likely the Turkish converts settle are one purely by chance enough to start getting political momentium.
 
A tacit alliance to conquer Byzantine territory, the Normans going for the Balkans and free reign for the Turks in Anatolia is far more likely.

This almost happened anyway, at least by the fact of the Byzantines fighting both. Bohemond was at Dyracchium where the Normans destroyed the rest of the Byzantine field army.
 
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